1st Basketball artwork

Kobe Bryant
Lee Shu Hui
Pencil on Paper
27 May 2009

This is the first of 3 series of basketball sketches I did in 2009. I felt quite dissatisfied after finishing this piece of work. It was one of those works where after you're done with it, you feel like you could do better and you feel like changing it but you feel like just taking a break from it for a while because you've spent so much time on it and you're pretty discouraged - the feeling is just not a nice one.

I was spurred on to sketch this picture of him from the newspaper that day because there was a nice long article about him and the previous day's game and how he was the star of that show. That kind of kick-started my fandom for Kobe Bryant, because all along throughout my childhood I had a passion (sometimes waning, sometimes strong) for basketball, although not necessarily having the talent nor spending enough time on it. I think I spent more time drawing than playing basketball. Let's just say I'm an amateur who's liked basketball most of her life.

This artwork does have its good points - I like the way the folds in his clothes were depicted along the chest area.

After this, I wasn't willing to give up so easily, so I did a 2nd sketch in June 2009 of an NBA player I didn't know - but Kobe is challenging him for the ball and failing. Will upload it soon.